EFFECTS OF 28-HOMOBRASSINOLIDE ON YIELDS OF WHEAT, RICE, GROUNDNUT, MUSTARD, POTATO AND COTTON

Yield responses of some economically important crop plants due to foli ar applications of low concentrations of 28-homobrassinolide (HER) wer e studied in experiments conducted at research stations and in farmers ' fields in India during 1989-95. Foliar sprays of different concentra tions of HER were applied at tillering and spike/panicle initiation in wheat (0.5 and 1.0 mg/l) and rice (0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 mg/l); at flow ering and pegging in groundnut (0.25 and 0.50 mg/l); 30 and 45 days af ter sowing (DAS) in mustard (0.25 and 0.50 mg/l); 25 and 35 days after emergence in potato (0.25 and 0.50 mg/l); and 30, 50, 70 DAS in cotto n (0.1 and 1.0 mg/l). The HER treatments significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) increased grain yields in wheat, rice and mustard, pod yields in groundnut, tuber yields in potato and seed cotton yields, over con trol. The extent of yield improvement due to HER was influenced by cro p species, concentration of HER, plant growth stage at application and frequency of application.